My Take | Teresa Cheng’s chance to convince her critics
- The secretary for justice faces a tough time in the legislature over her department’s refusal to prosecute former chief executive Leung Chun-ying
- She can make it easier for herself, and act in the interest of justice and transparency, by at least considering delegating such decisions to the director of public prosecutions
Monday, January 28, is set to be a fun day at the legislature, as opposition lawmakers prepare a roasting for Teresa Cheng Yeuk-wah. Angry at her department’s refusal to prosecute former chief executive Leung Chun-ying over a HK$50 million payment by Australian engineering firm UGL, they are ready to unload their venom on the secretary for justice.
She was on holiday while her department bungled its official announcement not to proceed with prosecution.
Then she made a belated appearance late last month before reporters, only to display an unflattering mix of officious impatience and arrogance. She essentially told people the decision was a sound one and that the public would have to take her word for it. But of course, being the one currently with the lowest poll ratings among government ministers means the public doesn’t trust her.
Leaving aside the question as to whether Leung should have been let off the hook, the department’s public relations fiasco raises legitimate questions about the administration of justice in Hong Kong, especially at this sensitive time.
It’s still unclear how involved she was in the decision, but she clearly had played a role. Independent lawyers and legal scholars have questioned why no outside counsel was hired during the multi-year probe. Some have argued getting an independent opinion in such cases of high public interest would have been standard practice in the past, but Cheng denied that it was.
